Skip to main content

Bangkok combats pollution with city toll 

Road pricing is part of Thailand’s Clean Mobility Programme
By Ben Spencer October 1, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Bangkok toll is expected to reduce emissions (© Chiradech Chotchuang | Dreamstime.com)

Bangkok is introducing a road toll to improve air quality and deter commuters from driving in Thailand’s capital.

A report by German broadcaster DW says the proceeds from the charge will be used to help upgrade public transport. 

The programme is being carried out by the Thai Department for Transport Policy and Planning and German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

GIZ says on its website the Clean Mobility Programme will support the Thai government in enabling a shift toward sustainable transport by addressing low-quality public transport services operating in cities and an increase of private vehicle usage.

It also seeks to help cities improve mobility and manage travel demand in cooperation with relevant authorities, the agency adds. 

This programme is part of Global Transfer III, an initiative carried out by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety.

Transfer III supports efforts being made in Thailand, Peru, the Philippines and Indonesia to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) from transport. 

According to GIZ, Thailand's government has pledged a 20% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030.

The agency claims a third of these emissions are caused by transport, leading to a rise in air pollution and losses of productivity due to traffic congestion.  

Earlier this year, Toyota Mobility pledged ฿50 million (£1.2m) to Chulalongkorn University as part of a project to ease congestion on Rama4 Road in Bangkok. 
 

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Dutch road safety ‘getting worse’ says expert
    October 7, 2019
    Roads in the Netherlands have become more dangerous over the last decade, according to one of the country’s leading road safety experts.
  • Peru lines up road, rail concessions for 2015
    November 20, 2014
    Peru plans to award next year infrastructure concessions including rail and road projects. Hydro and thermal power plants and liquefied petroleum gas distribution in the capital are also being lined up, a senior government official has said. Concessions will include the fourth stretch of the Longitudinal de la Sierra highway, which calls for the construction, operation and maintenance of a 640 kilometre stretch of Peru's Longitudinal de la Sierra highway, connecting Huancayo, Izcuchaca, Mayoc and Ayacuch
  • Vianova to boost micromobility in Stockholm 
    April 30, 2021
    Voi electric scooters are involved in integration of shared mobility services in city
  • White paper examines ITS application across four major cities
    December 19, 2017
    Frost & Sullivan and Isbak have released a white paper examining how intelligent transportation systems (ITS) used in Singapore, London, New York and Istanbul are being used on existing roadways to reduce congestion and emissions efficiently. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of transportation policies, implementation methods, best practices and challenges for key cities and how commuters, city management councils and the environment could benefit from ITS implementation.